Not Scared Anymore

Chapter 29 - Stephanie

At 2:00pm on Sunday, Stephanie walked into Books Etc. and found Kevin already browsing in the fantasy section. He was looking for the next book in his series; they only had one copy left in store, and he was desperate to find it.

"Yes! Finally!" He shouted when he uncovered it. "I've been to three bookstores trying to find this."

With his book in hand, they headed off to find Stephanie a new book in the fiction section. She felt an intense energy emanating from Kevin, like he was all keyed up about something.

On their way, they passed the staff picks, and got in a heated discussion about whether or not 'Chad' would be a help or hinderance in case of apocalypse. Ultimately, they decided that the type of apocalypse would be the key issue, Chad did not seem well equipped for zombies, but could probably handle catastrophic famine and drought. Kevin was more hyped and louder than normal during their discussion, and Stephanie was concerned.

"Are you feeling alright Kevin?"

He glanced towards her and quickly away again, not meeting her eyes. "Yeah, of course, why?"

"You just seem, on edge today. Or maybe just too much coffee or something?"

He let out a peal of nervous laughter and walked further into the fiction section. That's not an answer.

They looked at books for a while before Stephanie found a title she wanted, then they went in search of chairs. They had nearly reached the comfiest chairs in the mystery section when she noticed that Kevin had stopped walking, and felt a shift in the air around her. She turned to face him.

"You-aren't-really-gonna-date-that-guy-are-you?" He nearly shouted at her, and it came out all in a rush; she wasn't sure she heard right.

"What?!"

He set the book in his hand down on the table beside him. "Blaine or whatever. That guy you said you had the good dates with. Are you going to start dating him for real? Or like, do you want to?" His face was very red and his voice shook.

Startled by the sudden interrogation, and the intensity in his eyes, she struggled to find a coherent reply.

"Oh. Uh... I.. um. I don't know."

She was beside the comfy chairs she had been leading them to and she collapsed on to the edge of one. She squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed one hand down her face. She took a shaky breath and looked up at him.

Kevin looked at her so intently she couldn't break his gaze. He swore under his breath and took two hesitant steps, then seemed to set his shoulders and strode briskly towards her.

He covered the distance in two seconds, bent down towards her and kissed her. It wasn't a soft kiss. It was firm, insistent and almost desperate. One hand slid behind her head to cradle it towards his face, the other rested on her shoulder. She had barely gotten a hold of herself enough to kiss him back when he broke away suddenly and turned away.

"I have to go." His voice was hoarse. 

Her lips prickled from the sudden passion, and she brushed them lightly with her fingertips. She watched his retreating back until the door closed behind him and he was gone. She was in a daze, but she felt strangers' eyes on her and heat crept up her face.

Not knowing what else to do, she tried to compose herself with a few deep breaths, and gathered her things. She grabbed the book he left on the table and proceeded to the cash register. Knowing how badly he wanted that book, she couldn't just leave it there.

Her walk to the subway passed in a blur as she tried to decipher her emotions. Mostly there was confusion, questioning whether it really happened or not, but something about his boldness and passion made her happy. Her heart was beating in a way it hadn't since she first started dating Mark, and her nerves felt like they were coming alive for the first time. Mark had flirted with her when they first met, so it was always clear what his intentions were. Kevin was not like that at all. Perhaps, like Stephanie, he was unsure how to proceed, and the thought cheered her more.

She hated how he fled immediately afterwards, not even giving her the chance to respond, and anger simmered under her skin. Stephanie knew she had to find him sooner rather than later. There was a lot behind that kiss, and she needed to get to the bottom of it. She was sure she wasn't the only one who felt the heat between them. She pulled out her phone and called Denise.

"Denny? What do you think of Kevin?" her voice was quiet and breathless.

"Uh, he's a good guy. Kind of shy, but also pretty sweet. Why? Has something happened?"

"You could say that."